What is Nori?

Nori is the seaweed best known as a sushi wrapper. Like other sea vegetables, it provides a unique and beneficial mineral content that cannot be found in plants grown in the soil.

Benefits

Nori takes its nutrients from the sea, making it rich in iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, selenium, and iodine. It also contains vitamin C, making iron easier for the body to absorb.

Selection and Storage

Nori -also called laver- comes in paper-like sheets. It is made from fresh seaweed, washed and chopped, then spread into sheets and dried. You will find it in the Asian section of the supermarket. Nori almost always comes toasted. Untoasted nori is purplish-black but toasted, and it develops a small shiny green cast—unopened store packages of nori in a cool, dry place for up to six months. The humidity of any kind is an enemy of nori, so do not refrigerate it.

Preparation

If you need toast nori, pass the sheet over a flame twice. To use nori as a sushi wrap, you’ll need a simple bamboo rolling mat. Line the mat with plastic wrap, place the nori on the wrap and arrange rice and fillings. Use the mat to roll the ingredients together tightly.

Recipe Suggestions

In addition to using nori as a sushi wrap, use crumbled nori as a topping for rice. Add strips of nori to salads or soups, especially miso soup. To make healthy nori ”chips”, brush nori sheets with dark sesame oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake in a 400F oven until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool and cut into strips.